Improvement in cartridge-case charger



A C. HOBBS. Cartridge Loader.

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tlniied Letters Patent No. 91,442, dated June 15, 1869.

IIMPROVELIENT IN CARTRIDGE-CASE CHARGER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making peut of thesame.

To -all whom 'it ma/y concern:

Be it known that I, A. C. HoBBs, of Bridgeport, in the county ofFairfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Oartridge-Loaders; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specication,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicatinglike parts wherever they occur. Y

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe it.

My invention consists of a device intended to be used in removing theexploded caps from cartridge-shells, and also as a piston or rod forloading the shells.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the device, reps resentiug itsinternal construction, and at the same time illustrating its applicationin the removal of a cap from the shell.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the device when being used as a piston orcharger, for pressing the wad or charge. into the cartridge-shell.

Since the introduction into use of breech-loading arms, it has become anobject to have a cartridge- Vshell that can be reloaded and usedrepeatedly, and the use of such a shell necessitates the use also ofsome device for conveniently removing the cap aft-er it has beenexploded, and also of a charger or device for shoving .the wads and loadinto the cartridge-shell. To furnish a device that will accomplish bothof these purposes, is the object of my invention.

I constructva hollow piston, of a size corresponding with or less thanthe internal diameter of the shell; this piston, in the present case,being represented by A, and consisting of a metallic cylinder or tube,having its lower end closed, with the exception of a small hole at itscentre, and having a cap, D, screwed on to its opposite end, as shownclearly in fig. 1.

The cap D has a hole at its centre, of proper size to receive a smallrod, c, which also passes` through a hole in a transverse partition, orbar n, located internally near the lower end of the piston A.

Around the rod a is secured a spiral spring, c, the lower end of whichbears against the partition n, while its upper end bears against a pin,b, passing transversely through the rod a, near its upper end, as shownin tig. 1, thus tending to keep the rod a pressed up, as represented inig.- 2.

In the lower end of the rod a is secured a small pin, e', which', whenthe rod a is shoveddown, as shown in iig. 1, is thrust through the holein the centre of the head of the shell C, and thereby pushes the cap ooli` the nipple, which in this case is represented as being formed ofthe head ofthe shell, struck up into proper form to serve as a nipple toreceive the cap o. When the nipple is formed in this way, the end of thepiston A is made of a form corresponding with the internal surface ofthe head of the shell, so that when the piston A is inserted in theshell C, it will so guide the lpiston Aas to direct the pin e to thehole in the nipple.

.The head B of therod a has a projection, l, as represented in thedrawings, this projection l having its end face made concave,corresponding to the external form of the cap o, so that said projectionserves as a convenient device for pushing the cap o into the recesssurrounding the nipple in the head of the shell C.

To use my device, the piston A is first inserted in the shell C as faras it will go, or until it rests against the head of the shell, andthen, by pressing on the head B of the rod a, the pinl c is shovedthrough the head against the cap o, thereby removing the cap. The

charge of powder is then placed in the shell, anda wad being placed onthe mouth kof the shell, is forced down by means of the pistou A, thepin e being held within the piston by the spring c. A charge of shot isthen placed in the shell, and another wad forced 'inlby 'the piston asbefore, care being takenV not to press upon `the head B when forcing inthe wads.

By these means, I construct a device that answers the threefold purposeof removing the caps, and lalso forcing in the wads und the cap, thusanswering all the purposes required for reloading the shells.

1t is obvious that the device may be made of any size required to suitvarious-sized shells, and that it may be modified in its constructionsomewhat, without affecting its adaptation to the purposes intended.

Having thus described my invention,

1. A cartridge-loader, consisting of the body, or piston A, for shovingin the wads or charge, and asliding rod, with its piu, or point e, forremoving the cap from the'shell, substantially as described.

2. Also, the projection l, constructed substantially as described, forinserting the caps in the recess in the head of the shell, as set forth.

A. C. HOBBS.

Witnesses Roer. J. WHITE, A. J. HoBBs.

